LECTURES AND TEACHING

It is embarrassing that even nowadays, a student can graduate in any natural or life science without having heard about Maxwell's demon. This famous paradox is one of the most illuminating exercises in thermodynamics and all disciplines related to it.

In 1990, Harvey S. Leff and Andrew F. Rex compiled a volume bringing together all the relevant sources and the vast literature on Maxwell's demon, its resolutions and diverse scientific and philosophical consequence. Following an inspiring AAAS meeting, they published a second enlarged edition in 2003.

So here again is my enthusiastic recommendation for the best gift and a many years’ companion for every young scientist (at whatever age): Go buy Maxwell's Demon 2: Entropy, Classical and Quantum Information, Computing. Eds. Leff, H.S. & Rex, A.F., Institute of Physics (2003).